Landslides, floods kill at least 10 in India

GUWAHATI (AFP), 18 May 2022 -  At least 10 people including a four-year-old child have died in floods and landslides this week after unusually heavy rains pummelled several parts of India, as forecasters warned on Wednesday of more deluges.   

Experts say extreme weather around the world is being driven by climate change, made worse in South Asia by damming, deforestation and over-the-top development projects.   

The Indian Meteorological Department has warned of extreme weather conditions, with a heatwave in northern parts of the country recently triggering water shortages and power cuts.   

The department simultaneously warned of heavy rainfall in several other areas, including Assam and other northeastern states, and Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala in the south.   

A seasonally unusual deluge ahead of the annual monsoon in the northeastern state of Assam has left at least eight people dead and displaced more than 400,000 as of Wednesday.   

Four of the victims were killed when their house was buried in a remote village in Dima Hasao district.   
One train was pushed off the tracks by muddy debris from surrounding hills.